Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Victoria Segovia. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Victoria thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Starting a photography business is actually something that I dreamed of doing much later in life! I remember flipping through magazines as a child and being so inspired by the photographs on those pages. I tried my best to recreate the photos with family and friends, watched hours of educational content on Youtube and had fun with the art of self-portraiture. After getting my first camera around the age of 13, I considered myself a hobbyist. Before I knew it, my interest turned into taking photography classes in high school and I had friends asking me to take their senior photos. When I got to college, my skillsets grew and I continued to practice the art form. I actually had this sort of identity-crisis during the pandemic where I realized that I didn’t want to spend my life stuck on a career path that I wasn’t truly passionate about. That’s when I decided to seriously pursue photography and then everything changed.

Starting my business and making it legal was one of the first big steps that I made. I wasn’t quire sure what direction my business would go in– I was just happy to have a consistent stream of clientele coming my way. Soon after I established my business, I self-educated by consuming books, listening to podcasts, and having in-depth conversations with others in the industry. I started to build my business from ground up, and that’s also when I found my love for working with couples and diving into the wedding industry.

Since I made my shift of working with couples, things started to really take off. I’m a strong believer that photography should not be about the overly-posed, cliché images that everyone imagines. Rather, photographs should capture a form of emotion and really give the viewer a glimpse into the subject’s life and emotions. By approaching the art of photography with a relationship-driven perspective, I am better able to know the individuals that I work with. In return, this brings about elements of comfort and vulnerability– which makes it easy for me to truly capture the couples I work with. In essence, my goal and approach is to make sure that my couples are not only comfortable with me, but also having fun! This creates those natural looking and more emotion-filled photographs.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I got into the wedding industry simply due to inspiration from those around me. I would fall in love with the photographs that I saw in the media, and would so badly want to re-create those, with my own creative twist. I loved the photographs that showed some form of emotion– couples really smiling or laughing, or pictures that reflected the joy that was present. This is something that I’m proud of and that I pride myself in– it’s making those that I work with feel comfortable!

I can’t tell you how many individuals reach out with the preconceived notion that photography is awkward, uncomfortable, or entirely about the stiff posed images. This is not at all true, and it has always been my goal to change that cliche. I want people to know that photography can and should be fun! Your images, specifically those on your wedding day, should be an enjoyable experience for you and those around you.

This is also what ultimately led to my interest and journey in videography. I felt that creating film was another way to create and provoke emotion from viewers. There’s something so special about overlaying footage with a sentimental song or pieces of audio from the day. It captures the moments and memories that people can not only reflect on, but really feel when they go through their footage in 10+ years from their big day.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I would say the topic of formality. I grew up in an environment where being formal and working in the corporate world was highlighted. That being said, when I started my business, my approach, verbiage and communication styles were over-thought and more formal than they are now.

While I think it’s necessary to stay professional in various ways as a business owner, I actually disagree with the over-formality of communication with clients as well as with the photo-taking process. I’ve found that I’m better able to capture my couples by showing them a bit of myself and my own personality. This means making jokes, telling them about my own story, and relating to them in various ways. It all starts with communication and means of casual communication, not being afraid to show up and be yourself, and ultimately just talking to your clients like they’re your friends. This brings about comfort, and again creates those natural looking photos.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I love this question! I communicate with all of my clients via text message throughout the planning process, so an easy line of communication is established early-on. That being said, even long-after our work or time together, I have clients text me from time-to-time, tag me in random photos or videos on socials, DM me or respond to my social media stories, and vice-versa! I love keeping in touch with my clients through social media especially.

It’s also a lot of fun watching my couples grow as families! I’ve worked with some couples who have trusted me to capture their proposal, engagement photos, wedding, then newborn or family photos long after. It definitely means the world to me when clients come back for more photos, or even when they refer me to their friends or loved ones. Not a day goes by that I’m not thankful for this dream job that I get to call my reality!!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.victoriaephotography.com
• Instagram: @victoriaephoto
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoriaephoto